It was just a rock. Then Mohamed Salah sat on it.Now, tourists and football fans are making their way into the hills of Trabzon in north-eastern Turkey to find the exact spot where the Egyptian superstar once posed for a photograph.The rock has even been given a name.##TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨The rock where Mohamed Salah sat has become a popular site for Trabzonspor fans to visit <a href="https://t.co/uqErTMpHRF">pic.twitter.com/uqErTMpHRF</a></p>— Polymarket Sports (@PolymarketSport) <a href="https://x.com/PolymarketSport/status/2101900479135363511?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##"Salahtasi" or "Salah's Rock" has become an unlikely local landmark, after photos of the ex-Liverpool star sitting on it during a visit to the Kurtdere plateau spread across Turkish social media. What followed sounds less like a football story and more like the beginning of a very strange pilgrimage.Fans began travelling to the spot, recreating Salah's pose and taking photographs of themselves sitting on the same rock. What had previously been nothing more than one of countless rocks scattered across the plateau suddenly became a destination in its own right.And the locals have embraced the madness.##TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mo Salah took a picture sitting on a rock and posted it on Instagram. <br><br>It's now become a tourist attraction for Trabzonspor fans 🤩 <a href="https://t.co/CvqH6NqgWz">pic.twitter.com/CvqH6NqgWz</a></p>— Anything Liverpool (@AnythingLFC_) <a href="https://x.com/AnythingLFC_/status/2101985769426477399?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##Turkish media reported some of the amusing reactions to the sudden Salah phenomenon. One journalist even asked the owner of a nearby facility whether the area could eventually be renamed "Salah's Plateau".Meanwhile, as more visitors began hunting for Salahtasi's exact location, Turkish platforms started publishing videos showing fans how to reach the spot. 20.00: (1.95) Tristan Suarez (2.90) CA Atlanta (4.30)A directional sign has reportedly even appeared, making the journey to Salah's Rock easier for the latest visitors determined to recreate the Egyptian's famous pose.Turning a random rock into a pilgrimage site might be taking the obsession to another level.
15